03-01-091

JA DIALECT.

　The Bhis of Nilang in Tehri Garhwal are called Jas. They have originally come from Tibet. According to the District Gazetteer, they have now a large admixture of Garhwali and Bashahri blood, due in a great measure to the former practice of purchas- ing slave girls from the poorer Garhwalis.

　The Jas are the carriers and brokers with Tibet, like the Bhis of the Kumaon valleys. In the winter they migrate southwards to Dhunda on the Bhagirathi some seven or eight marches below Nilang.

　The number of speakers has been estimated for the purposes of this Survey at 106. At the last Census of 1901, there were 204 speakers of Bhi in Tehri Garhwal.

　The Ja dialect is closely related to the Tibetan spoken in Spiti. The materials available are not sufficient for settling all questions of detail. The general character of the dialect will, however, be easily recognized.

　A version of the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Ja dialect will be printed below. It has been forwarded in the Tibetan character usual in the district, and in transliteration. The transliteration in one or two places differs from the original.. I have not corrected such passages, because the transliteration apparently presents the better text. On the other hand, I have silently corrected the very numerous blunders in transliterating single words.

　Phonology.-The phonetic system is, mainly, the same as in Spiti. Initial soft consonants are pronounced with a very strong aspiration. The conse- quence is that they usually appear as hard letters. Thus, pa, cow; shu-ba, said; sin-ba, to be exhausted, and so forth.

　Final g is apparently pronounced as k; thus, duk, is; mik, eye.

　Final d is sometimes dropped, and sometimes pronounced as t. Thus, o-pa, classi- cal Tibetan grod-pa, belly; do-cha, classical sdod-ches, to sit; yot, classical yod, is.

　Final s is always dropped. Thus, gyal-kham, classical rgyal-khams, country; nyi, classical gnyis, two; nam, classical rnams, all. Nas becomes ne, i.e., n, thus, di-ne, thereafter.

　Double consonants are simplified, usually so that the first one is dropped. Thus, nyi, classical gnyis, two; son, classical gson, alive; nang, classical gnang, give; gu, classical dgu, nine; go, classical bgod, divide; shi, classical bzhi, four; dun, classical bdun, seven; ka, classical bka, word; ta, classical rta, horse; dung, classical rdung, beat; go, classical mgo, head; gya-tsho, classical rgya-mtsho, sea; nga, classical lnga, five; che, classical lche, tongue; chak, classical lchags, iron; kon, classical skon, put; kal, classi- cal skal, share; mra, classical smra, say, and so forth.

　Labials conjunct with y become palatals. Thus, cha-ba, classical bya-ba, deeds; chhi-la, classical phyi-la, outside, and so forth. In a similar way we often find ch, j, chh instead of ky, khy, gy, respectively. Thus, sa-ju, classical za-rgyu, eating for; chho-chi, classical khyod-kyi, thy. This letter change, however, does not appear to be more than a tendency. Compare gyal-sa, country; gyet, eat; yap-ki, of the father, and so forth.

　VOL. III, PART I.